I've found that most of the commercial probiotics don't do very much. A
research study done on various commercial probiotics found that only 1
brand tested contained what it claimed on the label; the rest contained
fewer strains of bacteria and way lower amounts of bacteria than
claimed on the label.

That said, I've found a few things you can make at home that work
better (as seen by a rapid change in the quality of your stools.

1. Cultured cabbage juice: Recipe: Get some green cabbage and cut off
about 1/4 of the typical sized head (typical head is about the size of
a head of iceberg lettuce). Chop that 1/4 of the head and put it in a
blender and add filtered (not distilled water). If you don't have
filtered water, leave a bowl of tap water out for 24 hours or so in
order to evaporate the chlorine. Turn on the blender and let it run for
a few minutes, then let the mixture set out in room temperature for
about 3 days. If you let it sit outside for more, mold will form on the
top and you should throw it all away. Then strain out the mixture and
drink a few ounces 1-2 times a day. The stuff smells and tastes
somewhat nasty, but refrigerating it will improve your ability to drink
it. Its worth finding organic cabbage for this by the way.

2. Yogurt. Yogurt is very easy to make at home. For your starter
culture, buy a brand which has the most different types of bacteria. In
South Florida, the best brand I've found is Stoneyfield Farms; besides
having lots of different bacteria, it will produce the best tasting,
non-watery yogurt you've ever had. If you can't make yogurt at home,
buy brands which have "live" cultures otherwise the yogurt is useless
for restoring intestinal bacteria.

3. FOS--A commercial product you can find at some health food stores. I
found mine at the Life Extension Foundation (lef.org). Basically its a
food for your intestinal bacteria. You only need about 1/4 teaspoon a
day; at that amount, its very cheap.

I also make some other fermented foods at home--I especially like
Kombucha tea. In general, I've found that making these fermented foods
at home is far more effective and WAY cheaper than probiotics. Spend
your money on the best raw ingredients (organic produce, organic milk,
etc.) you can find instead.

-Mike